Life Seen from the Helios

One fine day, many years ago, an old family friend came to visit and brought a gift I would always be grateful for. What he carried in his hands were almost collector’s items: a set of old cameras that had fulfilled their purpose long ago during family vacations, capturing incredible memories — but now obsolete, or so I thought. Among them, one stood out: a Zenit, one of those Russian/Soviet cameras embraced by an entire generation of Cubans. It came equipped with a Helios 44‑2, swollen with fungus, yet deserving of a second photographic chance. Not even I suspected what would come next.